Pierre Sage: Crystal Palace head coach on Everton loss, facing Man City and how his career prepared him for the Premier League
Pierre Sage has drawn comparisons to former Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner after his success at Lens; however, he lost his first Premier League game to Everton; watch Crystal Palace vs Man City on Friday Night Football from 7pm live on Sky Sports; kick-off 8pm
Thursday 27 August 2026 12:35, UK
By his own admission, Pierre Sage was frustrated with Crystal Palace's defeat to Everton on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
When asked if he enjoyed his first experience of the world's most famous league, his first response is 'we lost' - showing how seriously he is taking not only the result, but the job as a whole.
"I'm not here in an attraction park, you can say that. I'm here to win games, the job is like this and I'm not happy to lose this game," was his follow up when speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Friday's match against Manchester City.
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"I understood with this game that we are able to do things and it's difficult when you know you are able to do it and you don't do it for the duration of the game," Sage continued. "That's why I was a little bit frustrated because we played well during the first half and it's not normal that we played as we did in the second half.
"That's why we need to be more consistent. We need to work a lot, we need to understand together better. We need to be fluent, to be smooth in our play and the only thing to do is to work."
The focus on winning is no surprise for a manager who achieved incredible things with Lens last season. They finished second in Ligue 1 behind PSG - ahead of the likes of Marseille and Lyon - securing a place in the Champions League. They also won their first Coupe de France title.
Sound familiar?
In fact, it's the striking similarities to Oliver Glasner that saw Sage appointed at Crystal Palace on a three-year deal. These have been evident too in the games the Frenchman has managed so far.
"I think that's why the club chose me because we [himself and Glanser] are in line in a lot of principles, but we are different for the moment," Sage said.
"He won and I didn't win here yet, but the most important thing for me is not to be in line with that. It's to be consistent with the previous manager, but in my way.
"When I left France, people said when I left that I was leaving Champions League football to only play in the Europa League and I told them I'd be playing in the Champions League every weekend."
Crystal Palace represents another step in Sage's varied career that has seen him do everything from technical director to academy coach. But it is his time as an assistant that prepared him most for life as a Premier League boss.
"When I was an assistant, I understood the training process, but I also understood how to manage the guys," he explained.
"It's not only with the Premier League, it's like this in every country, but to understand the Premier League, the most important thing I did was to watch a lot of games.
"I like to be in contact with all the departments because I consider everybody important in a club and if we have success, it's all together and when we lose, it's the same. That's why it's important to be connected to all these people and to understand their job."
It will take a team effort on Friday Night Football when Crystal Palace will host Man City - Sage's first Premier League game at Selhurst Park.
"Everybody has told me it [the atmosphere at Selhurst Park] is incredible, it's really different to the other clubs and I'm happy to discover that," the Frenchman said.
"But the most important thing is the play and the result and if we can make them [the fans] happy at the end of the game, it will be a good satisfaction.
"It will be a difficult game because there's a lot of talent in their squad. When you have a new manager, there's a lot of energy at the beginning because you don't really know who will be the starter. That's why it's important to be at our best level for this game."
Watch Crystal Palace vs Man City on Friday Night Football from 7pm live on Sky Sports; kick-off 8pm.
